[rating=7.00]
A Mineral Love is the kind of record that transforms with each listen. There are so many personalities inhabiting the musical world that Bibio, née Stephen Wilkinson, has created on this album — it’s hard to nail down exactly what kind of album it is. Looking for some psych-inspired backwards-guitar sounds with Shins-esque gentle vocals laid on top? Then you’ll want the opening track, “Petals.” Are you more in the mood for Daft Punk’s version of elevator music (but in a good way)? That’ll be the second and title track. Would you rather get three different songs captured in one? That’s number three, “Raxeira,” and there are still 10 songs to go.
There are times when A Mineral Love jams out with some guitar and bass grooves, and then there are times when it goes full-on ‘90s dance. But somehow, despite these disparate genres, it feels cohesive. There are a few misses — “Feeling” feels almost too derivative, ironically emotionless in its R&B delivery, and “C’est La Vie”’s dragging rhythm is maddening. But gorgeous folk interludes like “Wren Tails” and sparkling guitar meditations like “Saint Thomas” elevate the album and pull you back into Bibio’s lush world. The wild variance of styles and approaches actually feels more genuine than a shoehorned sameness — it’s a human, expressing his multifaceted personality on record, reminding you of your own humanity.
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